


De Nile

by Purple_ducky00



Series: Ducky's Starkbucks Bingo Fills [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Betting On Friends, M/M, Mutual Pining, Rhodey is just done
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-07
Updated: 2020-05-07
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:14:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24048013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Purple_ducky00/pseuds/Purple_ducky00
Summary: Title: De NileCollaborator Name: DuckyLink: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24048013Square Filled: O4 - PiningShip/Main Pairing: Bucky/TonyRating: TeenMajor Tags & Triggers: Pining, Betting on FriendsSummary:“Bucky Barnes? Pfft, I don’t like him,” Tony shoves Rhodey. “I wasn’t even staring at him. I spaced out and happened to be faced in his direction.”“De Nile is just a river in Egypt, Tones. You forget that I’ve known you since you were fourteen. I know what you look like when you’re pining.” Rhodey counters.Can Rhodey get these two idiots to realize they are in love?Word Count:
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes & Steve Rogers, James "Bucky" Barnes/Tony Stark, James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark
Series: Ducky's Starkbucks Bingo Fills [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1734778
Comments: 4
Kudos: 67
Collections: StarkBucksBingo2020





	De Nile

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Trashcanakin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trashcanakin/gifts).



> This work is gifted to the wonderful Trashcanakin! I hope you like it!
> 
> Title: De Nile  
> Collaborator Name: Ducky  
> Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24048013  
> Square Filled: O4 - Pining  
> Ship/Main Pairing: Bucky/Tony  
> Rating: Teen  
> Major Tags & Triggers: Pining, Betting on Friends  
> Summary: Rhodey needs Bucky and Tony to understand that their attraction is mutual.

“Bucky Barnes? Pfft, I don’t like him,” Tony shoves Rhodey. “I wasn’t even staring at him. I spaced out and happened to be faced in his direction.”

“De Nile is just a river in Egypt, Tones. You forget that I’ve known you since you were fourteen. I know what you look like when you’re pining.” Rhodey counters.

“Fine. I think he’s smoking hot, and I would love to sit on those thighs, even if only to platonically perch there, but he doesn’t like me,” Tony mourns. “He is like wayyy out of my league.”

Rhodey opens his mouth but Tony cuts him off, “Uh-uh-uh! I don’t want to talk about it anymore. I’d rather not dwell on it. Please, let’s go find the spiderkid and the barrel of trouble.”

Shaking his head, Rhodey glances back over his shoulder at Barnes, who is still staring, but he follows Tony out of the room. _Pining idiots._

++++++

 _Rhodes is going to kill me._ Bucky thinks as the colonel sends one last glare over his shoulder. He groans and drops his head into his hands.

“Hey, what’s wrong,” Steve plops down in the chair beside him.

“Why am I here? I clearly scare Tony or at the very least make him uncomfortable,” Bucky stops when Steve coughs. It sounds something like “yeah-in-his-pants” and Bucky tilts his head, “Excuse me?”

“I had something stuck in my throat,” Steve lies. “But honestly, Tony doesn’t mind you here. If he did, you wouldn’t be here.”

“Why does Rhodes keep glaring at me then?”

Steve sighs, “I don’t know, Bucky, but you’ll be ok. I think you’re just insecure because you have a hopeless crush on Tony.”

“I don’t know how everyone doesn’t. He’s awesome. He’s so smart and kind and easy to talk to, and that ass is delicious.” Bucky sighs dreamily.

“Why don’t you tell him that?”

“He’s the epitome of perfection, and I’m an amnesiac assassin. You do see how that will never work out, right?” Sometimes Bucky thinks Steve lives with rose-tinted glasses.

“And if he -hypothetically- confesses his undying love to you?” Steve queries. “Would you tell him that he’s wrong for loving you?”

Bucky snorts, “I’m not an idiot, Steve. I would spend the rest of my life trying my best to make sure he doesn’t regret loving me. But as that will never happen, I don’t need any false hope.” He gets up and leaves, heading to the gym to take his stress out on a few punching bags.

++++++

“We need to do something about those two,” Rhodey groans.

Sam agrees, “I know, but how? We’ve tried almost everything we could.”

“I have a brilliant idea,” Wade speaks up. “We should have a betting pool on when they will get together. It always works in these situations.”

“How did you even get in here?” Bruce asks. “You know what? I don’t want to know. I have so many questions about you, Wade, but I’m afraid of the answers I’d get. But I am in for the betting pool. I’ve got fifty bucks on Tony making the first move before the year is over, but not until after October 14th.”

“Oddly specific, but I’ll take it. Fifty bucks says Tony before October 14th, but after July 31st.” Clint puts in his prediction.

One by one, the Avengers each place their bets. “So, what are the rules?” Rhodey asks.

“Normal betting-on-friends’ rules,” Wade tells him, as if he should know them. When Rhodey looks at him confusedly, he groans. “Ugh, how do you guys not know these things? Ok – no tampering, no dropping hints – we have to let them figure it out themselves.”

Harley cackles, “I am going to be rich. They will never figure it out themselves.” The bet is on.

++++++

Rhodey is getting tired of hearing Tony wax poetic about Bucky’s thighs or his eyes or anything else. He wants to tell Tony to just tell Bucky. He doesn’t even care if he doesn’t win the bet. _Anything_ would be better than listening to Tony right now.

“Why is he so beautiful and out of reach, Rhodey?” The genius whines. “And he’s like just my type.”

“If he’s your type, how do you know you’re not his?” Rhodey groans.  
  
  
“Come on, Sour Patch, he’s had more than enough trauma in his life. He doesn’t need to be in a relationship with me.” Tony argues.

Steve walks in, and Tony spins to greet him, “Hey Cap!” Rhodey makes a ‘kill-me’ motion behind Tony’s back, and Steve laughs.

“Hey Tony, have you seen Bucky around?”

“Why do you think I would have seen him?” Tony questions, voice a tad loud.

Steve raises his hands, “I… was just asking.”

“You could ask FRIDAY,” Tony says petulantly.

“Right. I’ll… do that. Thanks, Tone.”

Tony turns back around when Steve leaves. Rhodey knows he has a shit-eating grin on his face. “Wow. You got defensive, didn’t you?” He asks.

“Shut up, Platypus. Steve is already disappointed in me. I don’t need him to hate me because I’m hopelessly in love with his best friend.”

A glass shatters in the doorway. Rhodey looks up to see Bucky standing there, a shattered plate on the floor. Tony gulps. “Oh. Bucky.” He jumps up and runs from the room.

Bucky looks down at the floor, then to Rhodey. “He… was lying, right? He can’t like me. He’s too good.”

A voice that sounds like Wade’s says _No tampering_ , but _shut up Wade. I have the fate of my best friend in my hands. I’m not screwing this up._ Rhodey sighs, “Listen man, you need to talk to Tony about this. If he doesn’t let you in now, give him a day or so. You know how to sneak in anywhere.” He steps over the shards, pats Bucky on the shoulder, and walks out of the room.

++++++

“Tony?” Bucky finds Tony sitting with his head in his hands on the couch in his workshop.

“I’m sorry, Bucky. You never were supposed to know. I can move back to Malibu. Whatever it takes to help you feel better around here. You don’t need me fucking up your life.”

“So you mean it? You love me?” Bucky questions, daring to hope.

Tony refuses to look at him, but after a few minutes’ consideration, replies, “Yes, and I am so, so sorry.”  
  


“Don’t be. I am completely and irrevocably in love with you as well. I just didn’t want you to know because you are perfection, and I am… decidedly not.” Bucky sits down beside him.

Tony glances over at him now, “You – you are? And I am not perfection. I’m the most fucked-up one here. I’m a monster.”

“Hey, no you’re not. Don’t talk about the love of my life that way. I might get sad.” Bucky pulls him into a hug. “How about this? We go get dinner, and we don’t think either of us is worse than the other. We can be broken together.”

Tony hugs him tighter, “Sounds good to me.”

++++++

“Hah! I win! I told you it would be on the June 15th!” Wade whoops. “Pay up.”

Everyone else pays him. “I don’t know how you knew this would work,” Sam tells him, “but it did.”

“And accurately so…” Strange eyes Wade. “You don’t, by any chance, see the future, do you?”

Wade just smirks and walks out of the room.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!


End file.
